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The Official Bryston SP3 Thread. - Page 6

post #151 of 650
2/14/13 at 2:31pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson View Post

I think so.  ;-)  All rooms need treatment and/or EQ, unless their dimensions and construction materials were conceived for ideal acoustic conditions.  

I may be losing my edge because with the SP3, everything seems just right. How can I tell whats missing? At some point, I may connect the SMS-1 for the sub, but as of now, I cannot tell what deficiency in sound that I have, and this is the first time ever that I am completely satistied with the sound coming from my system. Again, maybe I'm losing my edge.
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post #152 of 650
2/14/13 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaby View Post

I may be losing my edge because with the SP3, everything seems just right. How can I tell whats missing? At some point, I may connect the SMS-1 for the sub, but as of now, I cannot tell what deficiency in sound that I have, and this is the first time ever that I am completely satistied with the sound coming from my system. Again, maybe I'm losing my edge.

If you run the SMS1 and setup the supplied mike you will get a visual of what's happening in your room from the crossover point and below.

You can also run REW or similar to get an idea of what's going on across the entire band. More than likely your sub would benefit from correction. I would take advantage of it.
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post #153 of 650
2/14/13 at 5:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaby View Post


I may be losing my edge because with the SP3, everything seems just right. How can I tell whats missing? At some point, I may connect the SMS-1 for the sub, but as of now, I cannot tell what deficiency in sound that I have, and this is the first time ever that I am completely satistied with the sound coming from my system. Again, maybe I'm losing my edge.

I don't doubt your perceptions.  We attend to different aspects of sound under different conditions and there is no doubt that you are perceiving the improvement in transparency and distortion due to the SP3.  This only means that you are distracted from other aspects as is natural.  Happens to me all the time. 

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post #154 of 650
2/15/13 at 4:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaby View Post

I cannot tell what deficiency in sound that I have, and this is the first time ever that I am completely satistied with the sound coming from my system. Again, maybe I'm losing my edge.

If you heard a system with better power amplification and better speakers in a room full of cylinder bass traps with the best A/C coming in as possible and finally with top shelf vibration control for all components then you'd be knocked out of your chair. But so what. You just upgraded and you are loving it. That's the mark of a successful upgrade. Enjoy!
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post #155 of 650
2/18/13 at 10:37am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adidino View Post

If you run the SMS1 and setup the supplied mike you will get a visual of what's happening in your room from the crossover point and below.

You can also run REW or similar to get an idea of what's going on across the entire band. More than likely your sub would benefit from correction. I would take advantage of it.

In some point in time, I am going to take up your recommendations. Thanks.
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post #156 of 650
2/18/13 at 10:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson View Post

I don't doubt your perceptions.  We attend to different aspects of sound under different conditions and there is no doubt that you are perceiving the improvement in transparency and distortion due to the SP3.  This only means that you are distracted from other aspects as is natural.  Happens to me all the time. 

Speaking of myself, now I understand the old saying, "ignorance is bliss." At some point in time I will connect my SMS-1 to flatten out the bass response. It will only happen when I get bored because for now, I am satisfied with my sound. My ignorance really is bliss. :-)
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post #157 of 650
2/18/13 at 10:46am
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Originally Posted by jh901 View Post

If you heard a system with better power amplification and better speakers in a room full of cylinder bass traps with the best A/C coming in as possible and finally with top shelf vibration control for all components then you'd be knocked out of your chair. But so what. You just upgraded and you are loving it. That's the mark of a successful upgrade. Enjoy!

More power is something I do not need. And, I definitely won't be buying different speakers anytime soon. I may try some room treatment when I find out the deficiency of my sound. But, for the immediate future, I just enjoying listening, and I have thousands of CDs and SACDs to listen to again. I appreciate your feedback, however.
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post #158 of 650
2/18/13 at 1:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaby View Post


Speaking of myself, now I understand the old saying, "ignorance is bliss." At some point in time I will connect my SMS-1 to flatten out the bass response. It will only happen when I get bored because for now, I am satisfied with my sound. My ignorance really is bliss. :-)

No problem.  I have been listening to my CT system without any EQ for about two weeks now because I am enjoying some new equipment that precludes it.  Someday (soon), I will repent.

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post #159 of 650
2/20/13 at 8:46am
Hey guys, finally have everything up and running properly. Have been listening to AIFF files on the BDP1 connected to the SP3 via a balanced cable and am very impressed so far. The sound stage and imaging is incredible. Not sure if its the SP3, the amps or the speakers or a combination of them that are creating that but it is fun to listen to. I'm about to play around with Blu Rays movies and concerts and I'm wondering what settings you guys use for Blu Ray on the SP3? It seems like there are a few options such as surround modes etc and I want to make sure I have it set the proper way before I try some Blu Rays.
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post #160 of 650
2/20/13 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaby View Post

More power is something I do not need. And, I definitely won't be buying different speakers anytime soon. I may try some room treatment when I find out the deficiency of my sound. But, for the immediate future, I just enjoying listening, and I have thousands of CDs and SACDs to listen to again. I appreciate your feedback, however.

It's not the quantity of the power, but the quality and there is no room which doesn't require acoustic treatment. I definitely agree that you should be enjoying such a major upgrade. Note also that all CDs/SACDs aren't created equal. The "magic" correlates closely with the mastering engineer. Sadly, a little known or appreciated secret.
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post #161 of 650
2/21/13 at 10:35am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Kinney View Post

Hey guys, finally have everything up and running properly. Have been listening to AIFF files on the BDP1 connected to the SP3 via a balanced cable and am very impressed so far. The sound stage and imaging is incredible. Not sure if its the SP3, the amps or the speakers or a combination of them that are creating that but it is fun to listen to. I'm about to play around with Blu Rays movies and concerts and I'm wondering what settings you guys use for Blu Ray on the SP3? It seems like there are a few options such as surround modes etc and I want to make sure I have it set the proper way before I try some Blu Rays.

Wow Brian. I haven't heard from you in so long that I thought you left the country. What was initially wrong with your speakers, the Blades? In any event, I'm glad you got everything working. I cannot tell you which unit is responsible for your sonic experience, but I do believe that the SP3 is a major contibutor because your sound is only going to be as good as its weakest link. From what I remember, you have no weak links. But, while most people say that the speakers are the most important link, I disagree and think that the pre-amp may be the most important link. As far as surround modes, depending on the CD, I like to up convert 2.0 to 7.1 music as it is very immersive. However, not all music benefit from this and some will only sound right in 2.0. With regards to blu-rays, I always listen to movies in either 7.1 DTS-MA or 7.1 Dolby Digital EX. Congradulations, and have fun listening.
Edited by gbaby - 2/21/13 at 2:20pm
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post #162 of 650
2/21/13 at 10:46am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jh901 View Post

It's not the quantity of the power, but the quality and there is no room which doesn't require acoustic treatment. I definitely agree that you should be enjoying such a major upgrade. Note also that all CDs/SACDs aren't created equal. The "magic" correlates closely with the mastering engineer. Sadly, a little known or appreciated secret.

You are absolutely right about its not the quantity of power. Do you know I am using a Class A 2 channel amp (Aleph J) with only about 25 wpc and it competes with my Krell 5 channel amp with 100 wpc? It helps that my 2 main speakers play 96dbs with a 1 watt input. And, I do know that all CDs and SACDs are not created equal. In fact, some of my CDs are sonically better than my SACDs probably for the reason you mentioned. As far as room treatment, I'm sure you are right, but as Kal Rubinson opined, I'm just enjoying the improvement in the transparency and distortion from the SP3. For now, I'm happy in my ignorance. I am in the process or changing my furniture around, and at that time I will experiment with my SMS-1 sub equalizer and perhaps room treatment.
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post #163 of 650
2/21/13 at 11:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaby View Post

As far as room treatment, I'm sure you are right, but as Kal Rubinson opined, I'm just enjoying the improvement in the transparency and distortion from the SP3. For now, I'm happy in my ignorance. I am in the process or changing my furniture around, and at that time I will experiment with my SMS-1 sub equalizer and perhaps room treatment.

Happy times ahead!
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post #164 of 650
2/21/13 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaby View Post

Wow Brian. I haven't heard from you in so long that I thought you left the country. What was initially wrong with your speakers, the Blades? In any event, I'm glad you got everything working. I cannot tell you which unit is responsible for your sonic experience, but I do believe that the SP3 is a major contibutor because your sound is only going to be as good as its weakest link. From what I remember, you have no weak links. But, while most people say that the speakers are the most important link, I disagree and think that the pre-amp may be the most important link. As far as surround modes, depending on the CD, I like to up convert 2.0 to 7.1 music as it is very immersive. However, not all music benefit from this and some will only sound right in 2.0. With regards to blu-rays, I always listen to movies in either 7.1 DTS-MA or 7.1 Dolby Digital EX. Congradulations, and have fun listening.

Yeah finally , the tweeters died on the Blades somehow. I'm still not sure how it happened but they've been fine for the last week or so since I had them replaced so I hope it doesn't happen again. Ok I'll try those and play around with it a little more.
I am still having a little trouble figuring out the SP3. I finally have everything running but there seems to be a lack of bass. From what I've read about the speakers I am using bass should be a strong suit. I am running the setup with out a subwoofer right. I am wondering if there is any settings in the SP3 that may be off. I read the review in Stereophile and he discussed things such as full range which may have an affect on the bass as well as speaker levels but I'm not sure how to adjust these and what to adjust them to. Any ideas? Even the licensed dealers out here in Calgary seem to not know enough about the SP3 to help me figure it out unfortunately.
Edited by Brian Kinney - 2/22/13 at 12:26am
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post #165 of 650
2/22/13 at 12:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Kinney View Post

Yeah finally , the tweeters died on the Blades somehow. I'm still not sure how it happened but they've been fine for the last week or so since I had them replaced so I hope it doesn't happen again. Ok I'll try those and play around with it a little more.
I am still having a little trouble figuring out the SP3. I finally have everything running but there seems to be a lack of bass. From what I've read about the speakers I am using bass should be a strong suit. I am running the setup with out a subwoofer right. I am wondering if there is any settings in the SP3 that may be off. I read the review in Stereophile and he discussed things such as full range which may have an affect on the bass as well as speaker levels but I'm not sure how to adjust these and what to adjust them to. Any ideas? Even the licensed dealers out here in Calgary seem to not know enough about the SP3 to help me figure it out unfortunately.


You have all the speakers set to you large? and subwoofer set to none?
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post #166 of 650
2/22/13 at 12:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Kinney View Post

Yeah finally , the tweeters died on the Blades somehow. I'm still not sure how it happened but they've been fine for the last week or so since I had them replaced so I hope it doesn't happen again. Ok I'll try those and play around with it a little more.
I am still having a little trouble figuring out the SP3. I finally have everything running but there seems to be a lack of bass. From what I've read about the speakers I am using bass should be a strong suit. I am running the setup with out a subwoofer right. I am wondering if there is any settings in the SP3 that may be off. I read the review in Stereophile and he discussed things such as full range which may have an affect on the bass as well as speaker levels but I'm not sure how to adjust these and what to adjust them to. Any ideas? Even the licensed dealers out here in Calgary seem to not know enough about the SP3 to help me figure it out unfortunately.

I use to have trouble figuring out the SP3, but now I understand, and its logical. Basically, the SP3 is and HDMI, Digital and analog pre-amp. I know HDMI and digital is redundant, but with HDMI, you can access the new surround codecs or in some cases SACD. For both HDMI and digital, I set all my speakers to small and use a sub. You can set the speaker size and crossover frequency for each input for either HDMI and/or digital. If you are using a source with HDMI, make sure you press the HDMI button. If you are using digital (either coaxial or optical) make sure you press the digital button. You can also configure so that you can get a full range without a sub by selecting your speaker setting at large to get the lower frequencies. I believe your speaker go down to about 25 or 30Hz so this is important to you becasue you can play the Blades in all its glory. If you have any analog outs on a CD and/ or blu-ray player, I think you cann access the analog source for full range sound by hitting the source button twice. Or, if you have a source with a balanced output, you can connnect it to either Balance 1 or 2 on the processor and get a full range sound, but with the sub and if you hit the 2 channel button, you get a full range sound without the sub. The good thing is that once you configure each source, you won't have to touch them again. Hope all this makes since, and no, I have not proor read what i an writing because I'm at work.
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post #167 of 650
2/22/13 at 2:20pm
Interesting, yes I have the front speakers set to large and the subwoofer set to off. Right now I am trying to run stereo through the BDP1 media player through the balanced digital 1 output. When I do that it says

In: PCM 44k 2/0.0
Out: Stereo

And stereo and digital are lit up on the sp3.
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post #168 of 650
2/23/13 at 7:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Kinney View Post

Interesting, yes I have the front speakers set to large and the subwoofer set to off. Right now I am trying to run stereo through the BDP1 media player the Bthrough the balanced digital 1 output. When I do that it says

In: PCM 44k 2/0.0
Out: Stereo

And stereo and digital are lit up on the sp3.

Since I don't own the BDP1, it's hard to for me to understand what you are trying to do. I did not know the SP3 had a "balanced digital output."
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post #169 of 650
2/23/13 at 11:33am
I think it's called AES. There are two. I've been told they are digital. Maybe balanced is incorrect.
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post #170 of 650
2/23/13 at 2:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Kinney View Post

I think it's called AES. There are two. I've been told they are digital. Maybe balanced is incorrect.
Well, apparently you are feeding a PCM source to the SP3, and it is reading it correctly.
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post #171 of 650
2/23/13 at 2:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaby View Post

Well, apparently you are feeding a PCM source to the SP3, and it is reading it correctly.

Yes I was told that was the best way to connect a media player to the SP3, is that correct?
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post #172 of 650
2/23/13 at 5:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Kinney View Post

Yes I was told that was the best way to connect a media player to the SP3, is that correct?


Well, that and BNC are the only two choices you have with the BDP. There's probablt no real difference.

I use the AES/EBE XLR, and it works fine, but I keep my subs on for 2ch because my speakers are not full range. The Sp3 does an exceptional job of handling the crossover duties.

One important thing: make sure your XLR cable is a true AES/EBU--it will have a 110 ohm rating. a standard balanced XLR may not. It will still work, but may not sound as good. something about impedances not matching sending back reflected signal--I'm no expert. And one kind of cable needs 75 ohm, I'm not sure which, but you should be able to find out easily.
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post #173 of 650
2/24/13 at 2:40pm
Yes had a look at the box and it looks like it is, it's a Nordost cable.
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post #174 of 650
2/24/13 at 5:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Kinney View Post

Yes had a look at the box and it looks like it is, it's a Nordost cable.

You should contact Bryston with your issue. Their customer support is excellent.
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post #175 of 650
3/2/13 at 4:04am
Can anyone confirm if the SP3's HDMI ports will pass through 4k sources? According to tech support they believe it should but they didn't seem sure. I will test this myself at some point but I was hoping someone tried this already. smile.gif
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post #176 of 650
3/2/13 at 7:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by adidino View Post

Can anyone confirm if the SP3's HDMI ports will pass through 4k sources? According to tech support they believe it should but they didn't seem sure. I will test this myself at some point but I was hoping someone tried this already. smile.gif

Hey Tony

Have you received your SP3 yet?

How do you like it?.

Are you planning on getting a 4k TV?
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post #177 of 650
3/2/13 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by moonhawk View Post

Hey Tony

Have you received your SP3 yet?

How do you like it?.

Are you planning on getting a 4k TV?

I'll post some impressions soon. I already have a 4k projector (Sony VW1000). I was just curious if anyone has tested it yet.
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post #178 of 650
3/2/13 at 11:23am
Very much looking forward to your review, Tony, especially via-a-vis the Classé SSP-800 and Marantz AV8801.

BTW, do you run two subs in your system? If so, your experiences on time-aligning them in concert with setup of the SP3 would be valuable.

Cheerio, and thanks for your helpful forum comments.

RJ
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post #179 of 650
3/2/13 at 6:08pm
Well everyone, I just received my new Bryston SP3. Whoohooo!

Having many trials & tribulations setting inputs - I'll work through it, but this is definitely NOT user friendly. This remote is just plain awful. Who puts 4 arrow keys in a straight line?! Can't wait to get a universal remote.

I did some testing for sound and here's what I can report:

I use a computer I built as a music server running iTunes with everything ripped using AIFF. One of the reasons for getting the SP3 was to eliminate other pieces, such as my Ayre K-3x pre, my Marantz AV-7005 and my NAD M-51. Well, this piece does the job of all of those and better. Great, great sound detail and presence in 2-ch and multi-ch sound.

I had the use of a Stello U3 piece and tested the USB out of the computer into the Stello, then into the SP3 using a Coax cable and an AES cable. Sounded pretty good. But then I plugged the USB cable directly into the SP3 and it was just as good, so no need for the Stello. Then, I plugged my trusty Chord optical cable from the PC to the SP3 and it sounded even better! So this is the configuration I'm going to stick with. The optical connection is the best sound I get. (I may have said this before in a previous post, but using the music server blows the doors off playing the CDs directly from any player I have ever tried).

I have discovered one major flaw though - I was trying to play a 3D movie from my OPPO BDP-103 today to my Epson Pro Cinema 6010 through the Bryston and it kept saying I didn't have a 3D display hooked up. Well I actually have 2 displays hooked up - an ND 42" 2D display and the Epson. Unless I disconnect the 2D from the back of the Bryston (in HMDI 2 out) I cannot play 3D movies. Not good! I think Bryston should have made the HDMI outputs selectable to run in either parallel mode or independent mode and allow you to switch between all the settings. It's not good having to unplug a cable every time to watch 3D. Is there another way to do this that I can't figure out?

I'll have more discussion later, but time to get some listening in!
Edited by Boldlygo - 3/2/13 at 8:05pm
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post #180 of 650
3/2/13 at 9:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boldlygo View Post

Well everyone, I just received my new Bryston SP3. Whoohooo!

Having many trials & tribulations setting inputs - I'll work through it, but this is definitely NOT user friendly. This remote is just plain awful. Who puts 4 arrow keys in a straight line?! Can't wait to get a universal remote.

I did some testing for sound and here's what I can report:

I use a computer I built as a music server running iTunes with everything ripped using AIFF. One of the reasons for getting the SP3 was to eliminate other pieces, such as my Ayre K-3x pre, my Marantz AV-7005 and my NAD M-51. Well, this piece does the job of all of those and better. Great, great sound detail and presence in 2-ch and multi-ch sound.

I had the use of a Stello U3 piece and tested the USB out of the computer into the Stello, then into the SP3 using a Coax cable and an AES cable. Sounded pretty good. But then I plugged the USB cable directly into the SP3 and it was just as good, so no need for the Stello. Then, I plugged my trusty Chord optical cable from the PC to the SP3 and it sounded even better! So this is the configuration I'm going to stick with. The optical connection is the best sound I get. (I may have said this before in a previous post, but using the music server blows the doors off playing the CDs directly from any player I have ever tried).

I have discovered one major flaw though - I was trying to play a 3D movie from my OPPO BDP-103 today to my Epson Pro Cinema 6010 through the Bryston and it kept saying I didn't have a 3D display hooked up. Well I actually have 2 displays hooked up - an ND 42" 2D display and the Epson. Unless I disconnect the 2D from the back of the Bryston (in HMDI 2 out) I cannot play 3D movies. Not good! I think Bryston should have made the HDMI outputs selectable to run in either parallel mode or independent mode and allow you to switch between all the settings. It's not good having to unplug a cable every time to watch 3D. Is there another way to do this that I can't figure out?

I'll have more discussion later, but time to get some listening in!

Your SP3 doesn't do any video processing anyway, so why not just bypass it entirely with the HDMI video out from one of your sources? Send the audio to the Bryston.

You can do that easily with the 103, in fact Oppo recommends it.
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